China Hopes to See Resumption of ME Peace Talks: FMChina is willing to continue contributing to the Middle East peace process along with the international community, said Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan during his talks with visiting Saudi Arabia Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Nizar O. Madani Tuesday.The eight-month-long violent clashes between Israel and Palestine have resulted in heavy casualties and losses as well as escalating tension in the region, Tang said. "The Chinese government is very concerned about this, and does not want to see the efforts and achievements over the past decade turn out to be fruitless," he added. Tang pointed out that diplomatic activities addressing the Middle East issue are in full swing, and China welcomes every effort by the international community aimed at helping ease tension, appeasing conflict and resuming peace talks. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has always supported the Middle East peace process, opposed Israel's abuse of force, which endangers the lives and property of Palestinian civilians, and opposed Israel's economic sanctions on Palestine. "We have always held that the UN resolutions on the Middle East issue and the 'land for peace' principle are the basis of Middle East peace talks, and the implementation of the agreements and understanding by all sides constitutes a prerequisite for the establishment of mutual trust between the Arab World and Israel," Tang said. It is therefore a top priority for Israel and Palestine to alleviate conflicts, actively cooperate with the international community in the mediation efforts, and resume peace talks at an early date, he added. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |